A man who tried to rob a woman near Clark and Surf this morning escaped empty handed, but a slow response by our under-staffed police district prevented a report from being filed.
The woman called for help at 5:55AM Sunday after a Hispanic man pushed her and tried to take her purse. Her attacker was said to be wearing a black long-sleeve shirt with light blue jeans.
This morning’s incident is virtually identical to a similar case at the exact same location on March 14. As we reported then:
Around 3AM on Saturday, residents near Clark and Surf called police after they heard a woman screaming for help on the street. Officers found the woman who reported that a Hispanic man wearing a black jacket had just stolen her purse in the 2900 block of Clark. The offender was last seen running eastbound on Surf toward Broadway.
- Reduced police staffing leads to longer responses and more victims give up on filing reports.
- Refusal to dispatch police to many types of crimes, forcing victims to file a report via telephone (if they are willing to endure an extended hold time).
- Re-classification of crimes from serious categories such as burglary to less serious categories such as “theft from building” or from theft to “lost property.”
